PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Doctors serving at selected clinics nationwide will be paid more than double or RM80 per hour in overtime while specialists will be paid RM200 per hour on weekends.

The move is expected to reduce waiting time for patients, as they will now be able to get treatment from doctors after office hours instead of thronging hospitals.

"There have been complaints of patients coming after office hours and crowding the emergency services. A lot of people were not happy.

"We have heard of emergency cases not being attended to. They (medical personnel) were seeing only those with coughs and colds. And we cannot send them (sick people) away.

"So now, we open up clinics instead of them thronging the hospitals and get doctors to work after office hours," Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican told reporters yesterday.

He said the ministry would also provide benefits to medical specialists and officers who will now have to perform elective surgery from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays at 19 hospitals to ease the backlog of cases.

He added the ministry hoped to start the programme within the month.

The annual allocation from the Government was RM12.31mil and RM6.9mil for both components, he said.

Both ideas were discussed during previous health minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's tenure, and Acting Health Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting brought the issue to the Cabinet for approval.

Dr Ismail said it was hoped the decision would enable people to obtain health services quickly and easily after office hours, and lessen the burden on emergency units at hospitals so staff members could concentrate and provide more efficient services to critical and emergency care patients.

The health clinics selected are Alor Star in Kedah, Greentown in Ipoh, Anika (Klang), Selayang Baru (Seremban), Peringgit (Malacca), Mahmoodiah (Johor Baru), Maharani (Muar), Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Bandar Kota Baru, Jalan Masjid in Kuching, Sandakan and Putrajaya.

The 19 hospitals are Kuala Lumpur, Kangar, Alor Star, Sungai Petani, Penang, Taiping, Ipoh, Kota Baru, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Putrajaya, Selayang, Klang, Seremban, Malacca, Johor Baru, Muar, Sarawak and Queen Elizabeth in Sabah.

The clinics will be open from 5.30pm to 9.30pm on weekdays (excluding public holidays) and from 8am to noon on Saturdays.

"There is a possibility the ministry will extend this service to other health facilities if the response is good," he said.

When contacted, Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin welcomed the incentive, which he described as "quite fair".

He added it would also encourage doctors to continue working in the government service.